Process of heating articles by electricity



PATENTED FEB. 1 1904.

B. 1?. PRICE PROCESS OF HEATING ARTICLES BY ELECTRICITY.

-APPLIOATION FILED NOV.6, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR F. PRICE, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNION CARBIDE COMPANY, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEIV YORK, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

" PROCESS OF HEATING ARTICLES BY ELECTRICITY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,358, dated February 16, 1904.

A li ti fil d November 5, 1902. Serial No. 130,183. (No model.)

To ail w/wm it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, EDGAR F. PRICE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Heating Articles by Electricity, of which the following is a specification.

This process-is primarily intended for baking the carbon bars which are used as electrodes in carbid or other electric furnaces, but may be employed for baking or heating other articles.

In carrying out the process the green or partially-baked carbon bars or other articles are arranged around or in proximity to a resistance-conductor and an electric current is passed through both the resistance-conductor and the articles. In the preferred mode of operation the current is first passed through the resistance conductor or core and then through the articles themselves.

The invention will be more easily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section of an electric furnace with the core and articles in position. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the furnace, and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on line III III of Fig. 1.

The furnace chosen for illustration is a rectangular structure having side and end walls 1 and a hearth 2 of refractory non-conducting material, such as fire-bricks. A group of electrodes 3 i 5 and'3 4t 5 extends through each end wall of the furnace. These electrodes are preferably of carbon, and the electrodes of each group may be concentrically arranged, as shown, the electrode I being a ring surrounding electrode 3, while electrode 5 is'a ring surrounding electrode 4:. A layer 6 of refractory insulating material, such as magnesia, is interposed between the adjacent electrodes. The electrodes 3 A 5 have terminals 7 8 9, respectively, shown as metal plugs screwed into the electrodes. Electrodes 3 4t 5 have similar terminals 7 8 9, respectively. Switches 10 10 serve to deliver elecher, two or more of them are placed end to.

end, as shown, the ends of each row of bars extending 1nto contact with the corresponding electrodes 4 I or 5 5 at each end of the furnace. The bars are preferably arranged in two or more concentric layers, as. shown. A resistance-core 14, which may be of broken coke, is arranged centrally within the rows of bars to be heated, these bars being placed around the core so as to entirely inclose it. A loose filling 15 of granular material, preferably a nonconductorsuch as lime, magnesia, or sand is placedbetween thehearth and side walls and the charge and also overlies the charge and closes the top of the furnace. When the furnace has been charged, an electric current is passed through both the resistance-core and the carbon bars or other articles to be heated.

The heating is preferably efiected by first passing the whole or a major portion of the electric current through the central core, which soon becomes heated to incandescence. The articles which lie next to the core will thereby beheated to a fairly high temperature, but not uniformly throughout, while the articles which lie at some distance from the core will be heated to a much lower temperature. The switches 10 10 are thereupon shifted to divert the whole or a considerable portion of the electric current from the central core to the electrodes 4 4 and thence through the articles lying between them. These articles are thereby uniformly heated to the desired temperature. The switches are then again shifted to pass the whole or a major portion of the current to the electrodes 5 5 and through the articles lying between them and which have been subjected to the lowest temperature, thereby finishing the heating operation. It is to be understood that the electric current may be simultaneously passed between two or more of the corresponding electrodes at each end and that the switches may be arranged to divert the current from one or more corresponding electrodes at each end to two or more corresponding other electrodes at each end.

The process may be carried out by the use of furnaces which are widely different from that shown, and in some cases the inclosing walls may be entirely omitted. The resistance-conductor may be of rectangular or other cross-section and the articles may be arranged around or in proximity to it, as desired.

I claim 1. The process of electrically heating articles, which consists in arranging the articles in proximity to a resistance-conductor, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the articles, and then mechanically directing electric current through the articles and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

2. The process of electrically heating articles, which consists in arranging the articles around a resistance-conductor, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the articles, and then mecha'r'iically directing electric current through the articles and thus heating them to the dedesired temperature, as set forth.

3. The process of electrically heating articles, which consists in arranging the articles in proximity to a resistance-conductor and in a plurality of layers, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the articles, and then mechanically directing electric current through the articles and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

4:. The process of electrically heating articles, which consists in arranging the articles end to end in proximity to a resistance-conductor, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the articles, and then mechanically directing electric current through the articles and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

5. The process of electrically heating articles, which consists in arranging the articles end to end around a resistance-conductor, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the articles, and then mechanically directing electric current through the articles and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

6. The process of electrically heating articles, which consists in arranging the articles end to end around a resistance-conductor and in a plurality of superposed or concentric layers, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the articles, and then mechanically directing electric current through the articles and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

7. The process of electrically baking carbon electrodes, which consists in arranging the electrodes in proximity to a resistance-com ductor, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the electrodes, and then mechanically directing electric current through the electrodes and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

8. The process of electrically bakingcarbon electrodes, which consists in arranging the electrodes around a resistance-conductor, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the electrodes, and then mechanically directing electric current through the electrodes and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

9. The process of electrically baking carbon electrodes, which consists in arranging the electrodes end to end in proximity to a resistanee-conductor, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the electrodes, and then mechanically directing electric current through the electrodes and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

10. The process of electrically baking carbon electrodes, which consists in arranging the electrodes end to end in proximity to a resistance-conductor and in a plurality of superposed or concentric layers, passing an electric current through the conductor and thereby partially heating the electrodes, and then mechanicallydirecting electric current through the electrodes and thus heating them to the desired temperature, as set forth.

In testimony whereofI affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

EDGAR F. PRICE.

l/Vitnesses:

D. WVooDHoUsE, F. B. OCoNNoR. 

